Trump to open America 250 celebrations with Mount Rushmore speech

President Donald Trump opened the weekend run-up to America’s 250th birthday at Mount Rushmore on Friday, placing the semiquincentennial at one of the country’s most loaded patriotic symbols. The White House is preparing for the July 4, 2026 milestone, which will mark 250 years of American independence.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial was set aside for a three-day stretch of special events from July 2 through July 4 under the National Park Service’s “Rushmore 250” banner. The July 3 program required tickets, which were distributed through a public lottery held April 8 through April 12, and the evening events were scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. and run until around 10 p.m. Fireworks were also set to return to the memorial on July 3 for the first time in five years.

Trump has made the anniversary a White House priority since creating the White House Task Force on Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday in January 2025. He later proclaimed 2026 a “Year of Celebration and Rededication,” and the White House calls July 4, 2026 the day America will celebrate the “most important milestone” in the nation’s history. The National Park Service has placed Mount Rushmore inside Freedom 250, the official national commemoration of the anniversary, alongside other signature events.

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden said the celebration fit both the state and the occasion, while the National Park Service said the return of fireworks reflected Trump’s vision of a “grand celebration worthy of the momentous occasion.”